good, general purpose light meter

[oftheherd]

I solved the doubting-the-meter problem by sending it back to the manufacturers. The meter is more than twenty years old (a Gossen Lunasix 3) but was recalibrated, with traceable certificate, to better than 1/8 stop throughout the ranges. There isn't really another way to be sure of whats going on. It didn't even cost much or take very long - I was surprised.

Recalibration of a meter you didn't buy 1st hand or is old and has had a rough life isn't a bad idea. But as long as a meter gives consistant readings, that is really all you need. I have a Sekonic L28c2 that I love. My Gossen Luna Pro and Luna Pro SBC read in lower light (although the Sekonic goes to surpirisingly low light). They don't always agree. But they are consistant as far as I can tell. And all meters don't always agree, but not a big problem if they aren't more than a stop apart.

Anyway, I can test if they give me the photos I want. If not, how much more or less exposure I need. As long as the meter is consistant, I always know how much more or less I need to go from what they say. I would love to have a perfectly calibrated meter at all times. But I would still have to check the negatives I get to ensure they are the type of negative I want for my photos.

All that to say, don't worry about having the most expensive meter as long as you get one that is consistant. But I would recommend the Sekonic or the Gossens. They work well for me.

 

[visiondr]

You want a small meter that you'll take with you even if you're just toting the camera and one lens (and not hauling a bag and gear). My Gossen DigiSix is tiny. A small meter is a meter that gets used because it gets taken along even if that means it goes in the front pocket of your jeans. Try that with a larger meter and you'll get some interesting looks.

 

[coelacanth]

As I wrote above, Twinmate is all I need. That said, if you happened to have iPhone 3GS like every other person in San Francisco, LightMeter actually works pretty good for emergency situation like you have tricky scene but forgot to bring your regular lightmeter.

http://www.appstorehq.com/lightmeter-iphone-57542/app
(can't be used with older iPhones due to hardware limitation)

 

[visiondr]

As others have said the Twinmate is a super little meter as well.

 

[ChrisN]

i've hesitated getting one, relying on the built-in systems of the cameras i have. but lately, i've been wondering about accuracy of those systems ...

What do your negatives tell you?

 

[charjohncarter]

I like this one: does 1/3 shutter speeds (good for old cameras), it does 1/3 stops (also good for old cameras), a flash meter synced and manual, EV, incident and reflective. The only problem is it is $189, now I don't have to remember the setting after I take it; it stays on the meter even after turning it off:

L 308s:

 

[Steve M.]

I have a tiny and light Sekonic L 188 that I paid $30 for. It does a fine job, but it's metering pattern is too wide. One nice thing is it takes the modern 1.5 V batteries.

Then there's this

http://www.jollinger.com/photo/meters/meters/goldcrest_pr66.html

which is what I'm using now. It's small, and more accurate than the Sekonic. Has a nice, tight metering pattern. Paid $12 on eBay for it, and it's as accurate as any meter you can buy, at least in outdoor and not too dark interiors. It takes the long gone mercury PX625 1.35 V button batteries, but they make the Wein cells in the same voltage and size, and they last a really long time. These are also sold as Lentars. My favorite meter. I much prefer an analog meter because you can see all the possible meter combinations in a glance.

 

[PMCC]

I like this one: does 1/3 shutter speeds (good for old cameras), it does 1/3 stops (also good for old cameras), a flash meter synced and manual, EV, incident and reflective. The only problem is it is $189, now I don't have to remember the setting after I take it; it stays on the meter even after turning it off:

L 308s:

+1 Sekonic L308. The $189 problem is non-recurring.

 

[denmark.yuzon]

I like this one: does 1/3 shutter speeds (good for old cameras), it does 1/3 stops (also good for old cameras), a flash meter synced and manual, EV, incident and reflective. The only problem is it is $189, now I don't have to remember the setting after I take it; it stays on the meter even after turning it off:

L 308s:

can this be bought new? what battery does this one use? im sorry, im looking for a light meter myself and im lurking for infos here.. this thing looks small.. i like it..

 

[ChrisN]

can this be bought new? what battery does this one use? im sorry, im looking for a light meter myself and im lurking for infos here.. this thing looks small.. i like it..

Yes, available new. I got mine from an ebay seller.

It uses a single AA battery.

Fits nicely in my trouser pocket.

 

[ruben]

i've hesitated getting one, relying on the built-in systems of the cameras i have. but lately, i've been wondering about accuracy of those systems and thinking that just having one, reliable meter that i can use for all my cameras (except the 5d 😉 ) would be cool.

can you get a decent one for under a $100? or am i gonna have to spend leica sized bills?

thanks,
~m

Dear Friend,
Given that your question is of practical nature, and taking into account that exposure readings may variate with the same meter, be it camera on board or a separate one, I think I had been doing better avoiding the quest and continue using the built in meters of each camera.

However, due to the fact that untill not long ago I loved to use several specific meterless cameras, I was compelled to use a separate hand meter. This situation led me to fall in love with hand meters, besides loving several cameras, ending in purchasing around a dozen meters of the different existing types. The charms of the land.

By this way you may either end (true, after a while) in the dnr's question of questions, or trying to learn how to meter light with your brain. Or both. For the last case RFF has several able members, and threads have been opened.

These threads are very interesting, BTW, and some times aroused to high temperatures.

Besides, kindly notice that if you are looking for a single meter for all cameras, this one, The One, should be as accurate as possible - otherwise there is no real advantage to disdain a camera built in meter in favour of a lower quality/accuracy meter. And here there is a built in contradiction between the The One, and a hundred dollaretas.

A second feature of The One, besides price, will be size. Size is related to convenience. If you are ready to sacrifice some convenience and more money for the sake of a single meter that will include all features of the cameras built in meters, and add more features - a sensitive path in the quest for The One, then you will arrive to the all-inclusive (almost) digital spot meters.

But what about creative interpretation of exposure readings ? Here I start to repeat myself so I get off. In case of specific need on the question, RFF member bmattock may step in as well, as creative exposure reading is one of his several expertize grounds.

Best luck,
Ruben

 

[ruben]

One of my forever-unanswered questions has to do with the accuracy and precision of non-laboratory-grade light meters. Most specifically, how to be assured that they are within a reasonable tolerance of being spot on.

The two answers which keep coming back are to compare the meter to a known-good camera or meter (vicious cycle, rinse, repeat) or check with a "sunny 16" reading.

Back in my clinical lab days, instruments would be calibrated such that they are "traceable to a known standard", and, other than purchasing a laboratory grade meter or light source, this seems like an exercise in futility.

We have convenient ways to test almost every other kind of measuring device. The accuracy of rulers, yardsticks (rangefinders) can be verified easily. We can easily check the accuracy of our clocks to some very close tolerances. For volume and weight (mass), reasonably accurate standards are commonplace.

Why not light meters?

Hi dmr,
I cannot skip over your better technical knowledge, but just wanted to contribute that the man from Holywood told me, after I got back two differing small selenium meters he refreshed, that the tolerance (he) to be expected from a selenium meter should fall between one full stop over or under.

Glad to adress you my two cents,
Ruben

 

[sevo]

In general, there is not that much you can do wrong with any meter that has received several favourable mentions in threads here on the forum - there are quite a few good meters out there.

Counting through the ones I use or have used:

Gossen Lunasix (a.k.a. Lunapro) - accurate, so-so handling (value transfer, dual range knob), all but the scarce latest revision need mercury batteries (but Gossen sell a silver oxide cell adaption kit)

Gossen Profisix (a.k.a. Lunapro SBC) - high precision, excellent handling (needle centring), impressive low light range, enormous accessory range (with some bizarre ones to it)

Gossen Mastersix - the metering of the Profisix, with flash thrown in, crammed into a digital package by engineers with no experience beyond analogue. Drains batteries, small hopelessly crowded LCD display controlled by buttons overloaded with innumerable modes. Impressive function count, but almost inaccessible - as nasty as programming a Yamaha DX7 synthesizer right from its panel, without computer aid...

Sekonic L-398 - proven incident light workhorse and cinematographic reference standard, needs no batteries, accurate. King of incident, reflective light readings less accurate.

Minolta Flashmeter IV - studio work horse, pretty much the equivalent of the L-398 for flash. Digital with a steep learning curve - but it set the standard for digital meter ergonomics so that it should be familiar if you have already handled a later Minolta or Sekonic digital meter. Good semi-spot accessory, and plug for my sinar Booster TTL probe.

Sekonic L-208 - tiny new match-needle thing, portable, good for incident, less good for reflected light metering (poorly defined angle of incidence, tends to underexpose in the presence of large bits of sky)

Minolta Auto Spot 1° - another relic from my film making past, ancient (sixties vintage, the earliest true spot meter), accurate. Built like a Arriflex, and almost as big and heavy. With motor driven illuminated in-finder scale display and finder bigger, brighter and better than anything you can find on a crop DSLR. Due to size, no reasonable companion for anything smaller than a RB67.

Sekonic L-438 - kind of a late seventies Auto Spot 1° shrunk to pocket camera size, measuring angles from 15-3°, takes AA cells. Does its job and makes nice whiring noises while it's at it, but there are modern spot meters that pack a narrower angle and incident capability into even smaller cases.

Weston (Euro) Master - the reflected light counterpart to the L-398. Superior in reflected light, but won't fit into bag with incident dome ("Invercone") attached, hence the latter tends to be missing whenever needed most. American/British made - two nations whose engineers long shunned ergonomics, hence it cannot be consistently used either in a horizontal or vertical position (you always have to twist it half way through a reading) and the smallest and most feeble tab on the calculator disc is supposed to be used to turn it (forget about using it with gloves or cold fingers).

Norwood Director - the ancestor of the L-398, smaller range, but ironically superior in ergonomics (pointer matches needle rather than value transfer operated). Incident domes seem to be celluloid and are usually yellowed beyond usability, but the meters themselves often are still good.

 

[dmr]

but just wanted to contribute that the man from Holywood told me, after I got back two differing small selenium meters he refreshed, that the tolerance (he) to be expected from a selenium meter should fall between one full stop over or under.

Perhaps I am expecting too much from the real-world here.

I feel more or less comfortable when I know that everything agrees within 1/2 stop, which, actually, all of my cameras and the meter do! 🙂

I want to feel confident that when I'm shooting Kodachrome (or a replacement such as Astia) I'm within the ballpark, as we know that Kodachrome can't take a joke as far as exposure is concerned.

For anything even semi-serious with Kodachrome, I bracket, 3 shots. More often than not the middle one is the best, but occasionally either the over or under one will be better than the middle.

I cannot skip over your better technical knowledge,

Thanks, but this is the area where I don't think I'm really that savvy, particularly when it comes to measuring light.

I know that we can easily measure dimensions down to the micron, volume down to the picoliter, time down to the nanosecond. I just don't "get it" why we can't measure luminance or illuminance closer than within 1 or 1/2 f stop. Remember that one f stop is doubling or halving!

 

[John Lawrence]

Another vote for the Sekonic L 308s.

John

 

[sevo]

I know that we can easily measure dimensions down to the micron, mass down to the picoliter, time down to the nanosecond. I just don't "get it" why we can't measure luminance or illuminance closer than within 1 or 1/2 f stop.

We can. The snag is that we have a hard time placing the reference value (no matter whether white, black or grey) inside the image frame - a perceptual thing where the auto-exposure feature of our eyes sometimes causes our guesses to be way off the mark...

 

[charjohncarter]

can this be bought new? what battery does this one use? im sorry, im looking for a light meter myself and im lurking for infos here.. this thing looks small.. i like it..

ChrisN is correct. See above. It comes with a case that fits on your belt which I thought I'd never use, but I use it all the time. You can leave the lanyard around your neck and still have the meter in the belt case. Very handy.

 

[ruben]

......
I want to feel confident that when I'm shooting Kodachrome (or a replacement such as Astia) I'm within the ballpark, as we know that Kodachrome can't take a joke as far as exposure is concerned.
......

- bold by Ruben


If this is indeed the case, systematic testing will be unsurpassable. The power of practical experience based on systematic testing is subjectively absolute in its real results.

Meaning that my systematic tests results may differ (if at all) from yours, but each of us will be stepping over fullproof grounds.

Testing is so good because when done systematically it stretches the limits of doubt to very narrow margins. Tests are boring, expensive when done consistenly, and time consuming. But they deliver the necessary info for iron confidence.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[dacookieman]

Another vote for the Sekonic 308s, its so quick, fast and its accurate. And fits in your pants pocket. 🙂

A cheaper alternative would be the twinmate 208, its smaller, analog and a nifty meter to have around for cheap🙂


have fun buying!

 

[je2a3]

can this be bought new? what battery does this one use? im sorry, im looking for a light meter myself and im lurking for infos here.. this thing looks small.. i like it..

Yes, a few months ago I passed by Aperture Trading in Banawe, QC they had it in stock. Might be available in their Makati branch. Google their website for pricing. In case you did not know the Sekonic L208 "Twinmate" and L308S are made in the Philippines. If I didn't own a Luna-Pro F, I'll get a 308S to support our economy and industry 🙂

Hope this helps!